Just 46 percent of Kiwi students were regularly attending school in this year's first term.

It's a big drop from the pre-Covid rate of 72.8 percent, and the 50.5 percent in 2020 or 66.8 percent last year.

The attendance data shows Tai Tokerau had the lowest regular attendance rate, at 34.1 percent, and Nelson, Marlborough and the West Coast the highest, at 50 percent.

The Omicron outbreak and high winter illnesses were a factor, resulting in record high student absences coded as short-term illness or medical reasons.